Chapter 1

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me - Chapter 001

If you wake up to an unfamiliar ceiling, isn't it a rule that you're in a different world?

Not for me. I woke up in a moldy motel room.

“Ugh…”

My head felt like it was going to split open. I clutched my forehead and sat up. A musty-smelling blanket fell to my feet.

So… let's see, I must have confirmed that I failed the exam again, got drunk alone, and fell asleep.

Did I crawl from my studio apartment to this motel?

“Am I crazy…?”

I cursed at myself as I entered the bathroom. I wanted to splash some water on my face and check my current state, even though I knew I'd look like a public servant who's been drowning in alcohol.

Then, I fell over when I saw my reflection in the mirror.

“Ugh! ……Damn it.”

I spat out a curse reflexively, but the situation was too unbelievable, and I gritted my teeth.

I shook my head with trembling hands and looked in the mirror again.

The same unfamiliar face stared back at me.

A thin, delicate-looking child.

…To avoid panicking, I took a deep breath. I desperately wanted a cigarette, which I had already quit.

“…Huh.”

Only then did I realize that my voice sounded unfamiliar too.

I felt like biting my tongue.

What the hell is going on here?

I managed to regain my composure and searched the motel room with my new body.

I found a note that looked like a suicide letter and an empty pill bottle on the bed. This kid must have tried to overdose on sleeping pills.

The note roughly said he was an orphan who had dropped out of school, feeling wronged and hopeless, and was leaving the world.

I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. Even with a new body, why is it still an orphan?

I found a wallet on a cheap dresser. Inside were a few bills and this body's resident registration card.

[Park Moondae 0X1215 - 3XXXXXX]

“The last digit is 3….”

It's a man, I thought, feeling deflated as I examined the photo on the resident registration card. It looked better than my reflection in the mirror, but the face was still quite dark.

Still, for someone with a dark appearance, he had a decent and youthful face. He's 23 now, I see. I thought he was younger.

“……”

No, this isn't the time to think about that.

I tried to stay calm.

I gradually calmed down and assessed the situation. I needed to find my original body and figure out a plan. This kid might have entered my body.

I grabbed the wallet and opened the motel door.

Then I froze.

Snow was falling outside the window in front of me.

…It was July before I passed out from drinking.

“Oh my God.”

I swallowed hard. I hurried back into the motel room and picked up the desk calendar.

[202X December]

…It's a calendar from three years ago.

My vision blurred.

It didn't take long to calm down again. After all, the shock of being in a different body was greater than traveling to the past.

I sat on the bed and sighed. I don't even remember the winning lottery numbers, so why did this have to happen?

Then, a ridiculous thought popped into my head.

…What if this isn't the past but a different world?

It was a crazy idea, but it sounded convincing in this crazy situation.

I vaguely remembered seeing similar scenarios in webtoons and web novels I occasionally read. They called them "hunter" stories, didn't they?

I muttered in a dazed tone. I must have looked quite pathetic.

“Status window…?”

Of course, nothing happened.

Damn.

I pounded the bed with my hand in frustration.

Why would it appear, you idiot….

[Name: Park Moondae (Ryu Geonwoo)]

Level: 0

Title: None

Vocal: C

Dance: -

Appearance: C

Charisma: -

Trait: Infinite Potential

I fell off the bed.

“Ugh!”

Despite the pain in my back, I thought to myself.

The content of the status window… wasn't what I expected?

* * *

“……”

With the status window appearing, I was able to calm down more than I expected.

After all, the situation clearly defied the laws of physics, so I could feel that this wasn't a joke.

I'm now in an internet cafe near the motel, trying to figure out if there are any other variables in this world besides it being three years in the past.

By the way, I asked the counter to call my original number, but it came up as an invalid number.

I couldn't log into my university account or the social media accounts I created for assignments.

In other words, it seems that my original 'self' doesn't exist in this world.

I don't have any major attachments.

My parents passed away in an accident when I was in middle school, and I lost touch with my relatives around the time I entered university.

I didn't have a solid social network, and the few relationships I had gradually faded as my public servant exam preparation dragged on.

Moreover, considering the time I wasted as a public servant, it's not like I'd be losing much by cutting ties.

“Here's your ham ramen.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I finished my self-assessment and took the tray. I slurped the ramen and checked the search engine.

Hmm, three years ago was when I was supposedly doing 'serious studying' and cutting off all distractions.

I had canceled my smartphone contract and disconnected my internet, so these pages felt a bit unfamiliar.

But I didn't feel out of place.

It felt like exactly three years ago. I could see the trends from that time—games, movies, songs… idols.

Idols.

“Hmm.”

I put down my chopsticks in the empty ramen bowl and crossed my arms.

The content of the status window seemed to point to idols.

I don't know why I ended up in this body, but could it be related to the content of the status window?

Was the original owner of this body, 'Park Moondae,' an aspiring idol who made a wish?

…Or is it because of my actions during my university days?

I have no idea. But I should use whatever I can.

“Status window.”

I whispered almost inaudibly, and the semi-transparent status window appeared in my field of vision again.

Vocal: C, Appearance: C. The rest were blank.

Maybe because I hadn't tried them yet.

I had that thought but decided to put it aside. I wasn't in the mood to show off my dancing or charisma in this situation.

How about checking the other contents of the status window?

I recalled the karaoke sign I saw when entering the internet cafe.

* * *

“Wow.”

First, C grade doesn't seem to be a low grade.

I could sing pretty well. The voice was good, the volume was decent, and the pronunciation was clear. It felt like I had a good foundation. I could tell I had talent.

More surprisingly, the window appeared.

[Achievement Unlocked! 〈First Attempt〉]

Level 0 → 1

1 Point Earned!

“Achievement?”

I repeated to myself, and another window appeared.

[Ongoing Achievements]

10 Attempts (0/10)

100 Attempts (0/100)

First Experience (0/1)

10 Experiences (0/10)

……

The scroll bar seemed to go on endlessly. …This is going to be a grind. Moreover, the units get increasingly unreasonable. And half of them are blank, probably impossible to complete.

I felt a bit deflated and closed the window.

Still, I earned a point, so I might as well use it game-like.

I called up the status window.

At the bottom, “Remaining Points: 1” was newly displayed.

“Distribute 1 point to Vocal.”

The content of the status window changed.

[Name: Park Moondae (Ryu Geonwoo)]

Level: 1

Title: None

Vocal: C+

Dance: -

Appearance: C

Charisma: -

Trait: Infinite Potential

Vocal immediately became C+.

Is this really reflected?

I immediately selected the song I sang earlier and sang it again.

“…It's better?”

There was a clear difference. It sounded smoother and more polished. It felt like my throat had naturally learned a better way to sing.

And the 'Trait' in the status window.

“Infinite Potential.”

For most people, the results of effort depend on innate talent, and there's a limit to growth. A maximum potential, a limit to one's potential.

But this status window shows that the effort-to-result ratio is absurdly efficient and there's no growth limit.

Moreover, I confirmed that my skills actually improved when I tried.

I stroked my chin and thought.

Idols….

Is this suggesting I should pursue this new body's career as an idol?

And at that moment, a popup appeared above the status window.

“…!!”

[Emergency!]

Status Abnormality: 'Debut or Die' activated!

Red letters were followed by more text.

['Debut or Die']

If you don't debut as an idol within the set period, you will die.

Remaining Time: D-365

“What?”

The content was absurd, but I had a bad feeling.

Since the situation of being in someone else's body was already crazy, there was no guarantee that stranger things wouldn't happen.

The bizarre popup disappeared as soon as I finished reading it.

And sure enough, a strange item was added to the status window.

[Name: Park Moondae (Ryu Geonwoo)]

Level: 1

Title: None

Vocal: C+

Dance: -

Appearance: C

Charisma: -

Trait: Infinite Potential

!Status Abnormality: Debut or Die

Is this real?

“Damn it….”

I cursed and covered my forehead. Cold sweat dripped down.

I had already confirmed that the status window was real. I couldn't ignore the possibility that this ridiculous text would come true.

Why did this pop up? Because I thought about idols?

I burst out laughing, but at the same time, I thought:

‘…Could this be a punishment for the shady things I did in the past?’

Yeah, idols.

It was a familiar field due to personal circumstances.

During my university days, I made a decent living as a proxy for idols. In the process, I did some… questionable things.

I saw and heard all sorts of things.

Moreover, the environment shapes a person, and I ended up over-investing in this field.

I learned a lot about it voluntarily, so I have some expertise.

I wiped the cold sweat from my face and glared at the status window with crossed arms.

I don't understand what's going on. It's absurd and frustrating.

But I don't want to die.

So, let's stay calm.

Yeah, I was already living a dead-end life, and now I'm being given a new start, with such advantageous conditions.

Moreover, to figure out why I ended up in this body, I need to use and verify this unrealistic status window.

“Hmm.”

I finished rationalizing and smiled bitterly.

…Around this time, an idol survival show became a huge hit, right?